Levine: Rob Manfred Confident New CBA Will Be Completed By Deadline
By Bruce Levine--
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (CBS) -- Major League Baseball has peace on the labor front since 1995. Despite the collective bargaining agreement between the league and players' union expiring this Dec. 1, the hope is that peace will continue without issue.
Just three weeks before that deadline, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Wednesday indicated at the annual GM meetings that he's optimistic a new deal with be agreed on by then. The line of communication has been open, and he's hopeful of a positive conclusion.
"Look, I think we're going to make a deal before the expiration of the agreement," Manfred said. "What i think I have said is there is a couple of natural deadlines. One is the beginning of free agency, the other is the expiration date. We missed deadline one, so we are now looking at deadline two."
If a deal isn't in place by December 1, owners may feel the need to lock out the players to get an agreement done, sources said. The ramifications loom large over the baseball industry.
If a work stoppage -- or in this case a lockout -- occurs, baseball and all of its dealings with players or agents of the players would come to a halt. With this knowledge in mind, teams may rush to sign players or make trades before a possible action by ownership takes place.
Baseball last had a work stoppage in 1994. On that Aug. 12, a strike was called by the players, and the 1994 World Series was lost. The two sides didn't agree to a new deal until April 2, 1995.
The regular rules from the current CBA would stay in place if a deal wasn't in finished by the Dec. 1 deadline, Manfred said Wednesday. What he failed to add is that if the owners lock out or the players strike, all baseball transactions and signings would come to an abrupt halt.
Baseball has had tremendous success on the side of the players and owners since the last work stoppage. As an industry, MLB has grown from a $1-billion business to $10-billion business annually. Player salaries have risen from a median of $485,000 in 2011 to $1.35 million this season.
One of the most contentious elements regarding the new CBA is the placement of an international draft. A more stringent tariff on teams spending past the luxury tax line is also a topic of discussion, as the current penalty is a dollar for every dollar spent over the threshold.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
